What do I mean by big hairy, scary goal?

When I first sit down with clients, we start by defining the "why" behind their business. Next, we discuss their big hairy, scary goal. What's that, pray tell? A big hairy, scary goal (let's abbreviate to BHSG) is something that's in your heart and mind, but you're too embarrassed to say it out loud. When I meet with a client in public, they might even want to whisper their BHSG so no one around them hears it.

This BHSG is inside of you. And only you. Sure, other people may have their own versions of it, but yours will come out differently. I promise.

So take a moment, breathe in and out — maybe close your eyes. Concentrate on your heart space, fill it up with love, and envision what that big ass hairy scary goal of yours might look like. What's your dream for yourself?

Three Biggest Obstacles For Creative Entrepreneurs

I've been around the block long enough to see that there are three main themes holding creative entrepreneurs back from even starting to set their goals, let alone achieve them:

FEAR

TIME

MONEY

FEAR. So many fears. I'll be honest here — this is something I've started to get impatient with. I know I need more patience, but sometimes, man - I just want to shake the person standing in front of me who's scared of this or that and tell them: "Stop. It. Stop it. You're a strong magical warrior who can do anything and everything you want!"

Too often, people have fears of failing before they've even started the damn thing! Most common fear: "What will people think?" Here's my response... people are way too busy thinking about themselves to think about you, and even if they are thinking about you, they'll think "good for her!" And the 2 percent thinking "that's dumb"? You don't want them in your life, anyway.

TIME. We all have the same amount of time. If you're not making time for something, it may not be a priority for you. If it is, try waking up earlier or going to bed later. Watch less TV. (Hey, I love TV.I didn't say cut TV - just watch less of it.) According to Laura Vanderkam in I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time, we have more time then we think we do. Time is all we have, and yet it's relative. Essentially, lack of time should never be a reason for not doing something.

MONEY. Similar to time, lack of money is another reason people give for not doing what they say they want. Girl, get scrappy! You don't need this or that to do what you want. Think you need to pay $10k for a website? Nope. I know of companies who make over 6 figures, and all they have is a landing page. Think you need to pay $1k for head shots? Prop that phone up, turn on the timer function, get some good lighting, and start snappin'. Need money for space/materials? Raise it beforehand, crowdfund, take out a loan, get investors... I'm not saying you should be reckless here — by all means, do your research first. Then, make the plunge.

There are seriously no excuses you could throw at me that would convince me you shouldn't do the next thing in your business you're wanting to do.

Three Tools to Help You Reach Your BHSG

Having a strong “why”

Hard ass work

Revisit frequently and pivot

A Strong "why." Simon Senek is kind of a master at the "why." When you uncover your emotional attachment, reason, and purpose of doing what you're doing, you gain the motivation you need and the urgency to figure out exactly what drives you. Some people are driven by money alone, while others need to realize that if they want to achieve their goal of having a team some day, they must make enough money to pay them. Typically, I find that the more you can uncover the emotion and "heart" of why you do what you do, the better.

Werk Werk Werk Werk Werk. I really don't like the term "hustling." It's just setting yourself up to crash and burn (not to mention, it just seems like it's filled with lots of testosterone - no thanks). But, here's the deal... at the end of the day, you just have to do the work and put in the time. The more you can get over yourself and just do the thing, the better. Set your ego aside, and let creativity flow through you. You have so much to offer — you just need to get out of your own way and start putting in the time to get it out into the world.

Revisit frequently and pivot."You attract what you track" - Kelly Exeter. The more you revisit your goals, break them down, and track your progress, the more likely you'll achieve them. You'll also learn if that goal is still relevant for you or not. Maybe, six months ago, your business model focused on shoes, and that was working for you. Then, as time went on, you found a lot of success in hats and realized that the margins were much better. You didn't know that six months ago, so having a goal around shoes isn't as relevant as it was before (you get the idea).Be committed to your goals, but don't be afraid to pivot.

You've got this!

It helps to have the genius and support of likeminded badass women.

Support + celebration. Being an entrepreneur can be really lonely. And having people there that "get it" can be really validating. Sometimes you just need to celebrate! You have your spouse, your best friend, maybe your sister (and they're all great and supportive), but explaining that you were able to cut your expenses down by 12 percent last year might not get the "wow" reaction you were hoping for.

Accountability. A little accountability can go a long way. It's amazing how the likelihood of you doing something goes up drastically when you tell someone else you're going to do it. Accountability is really popular in the fitness world, and it's gaining popularity in business. Sometimes those relationships can be hard to find (and also hard to keep up), so let me do the work for you.

Industry know-how. What might take you two weeks to figure out (like deciding which accounting software to use, or if you should even use one), can take you two minutes when you have a group of women who've gone through the same thing. V Formation is just that — a mastermind of female entrepreneurs that combines experience, expertise, and research all in one place so that everyone can help each other get a leg-up. A "big brain" at your fingertips.